Toy building construction.



c. 'GILBE 'RT. V TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION; APPLICATIION FILED JAN. 6. 191m Patented May 6, 1919.

WITNESSES:

I longitudinal girders of;

.1? spectively, ccnnected. an tojend, and

ALFRED C. GILBERT, or

NEW'HAVEN, ConnECrICor, Assmnon 'ro THE a. Gl'GilILBEBT computer new HAVEN, oonnncricur, A CORPORATION or conN CrIcUr.

ror'rnrnnmc cons'rauo'rron.

" 1 Application filed January 6, 1916. Serial No. 70,696.

lBei *knownthatL'Al-rmio C..GILBnRT, a

citilzitofthe United States, residin 1n the 1' city-iandjcounty of New Haven and tate of :5, Donnecticut, have invented certain new and it? box girder arranged kobliquely with" respect theretm as in the case-where the second box girder constitutes,for example, a truss memflber in abridge, In thiscase, the first-named boi: girder",servesfiasione 0f the horizontal he bridgeybut obo limited t h s vicusly the: invention particular application.

yThef-cprimary ob provide a very, simple form'of oint between at two girders, one arranged obliquely with respect tothe'other."

' vide' a} simple,

two oblique-girder sections disposed; at an fieu ngle to each other toathird girder section.

mayiloefconveniently taken down and assembleiil with the u'sei of a minimumnurhber of bolts or similar' fastenings: "these and: other ends, the invention consists the novel features and combina- 1 time of; to be' hereinafter described and'claimedj I lnthe accompanying drawing, i

1 Figure -1:-is a perspective view of a portion of a bridge framework embodying, my improvementst I Fig-Q isua Fig. 13." is a fragmentary- 3'3 of Fig. 1;" and;

section. on line of the triangular connecting plates. lfteferring. to the particular -;en1 b girder. 5. is composed of'two seamen,

Specification Letterslatent. i

.. preferably connectedend to end, in the man? ect of nwenebn is to Another. objectof the invention is'to pro efficient joint for connectmg.

fragmentary section online- 15 of the first named strips; i iThe-first Patented May 6, 1919.;

clined oroblique girder sections 8 and 9 extending at an angle to each other are con nected with the girder 5 at or adjacent the junction of the sections 6,7. For purposes of description, it may be assumed that the box girder 5 is one 'of the lower horizontal girders of a bridge, and that the sections 8 and 9 form complete truss members or parts of truss members adapted to be connected to anupper longitudinal girder (not shown) similar to girder 5. It will be apparent that the invention is not'limited to this particular application. r v 7 Before describing the parts in detail, it may be well to state that the girder sections are each preferably built up from a plurality :of sheet metal strips, 'as described inmy application Serial No. 814,533, filed January 26, 1914, and that thesectionsfi and 7 are 7.5 ner described in my application Serial No.

24,974. filed April 30 1915;

Each sheet metal strip 10 is preferably stamped out at 11 to present truss-members 12, integrally connecting the side edge portions of the. strip, which are provided with flanges 13. .The median portion of the strip, including the trussmembers 12' and the solid end portions 14, is bent inward out ofthe plane ofthe' side edge portions so as to present, in connection with the flanges 13, parallel grooves or channels 15 extending along -the side margins of the strip. The portlons 14 at the ends of each strip "are provided with. perforations 16. '90 When each of the box girder sections 6, 7 8, 9. is to be built up, four'of the strips 10 are assembled in box-like} form",- -t-wo .of the strips being placed opposite tofleachjbther with the channels 15 of one strip facing those of the other strip. Between the two oppositely located strips just mentioned, two

other strips are set into. complete the box like structure, the flanges 13 of said .la'st-" named strips being. engaged in-the. channels named stri s' are then interconnectedat'the I ends by he ts .17 having. nuts18, =and these A 1 bofts, .by. pressing the,outer--strips against Fig, 1 is adetailperspectlve vlew -of one i Q 4- 1 .l I [selected-for- 'illustratrom'ffla horizontal box- 6. on the corresponding strip 6 s v he-g er Of n.

. 5 "Although, the method or. as semtlageymayibe uo greatly varied, it will be assumed for purposes of description that the left-hand section 6 is complete except for the bolt at the right-hand end, and that the right-hand section 7 is complete except for the bolt at the left-hand end. The sections are then nested together at their contiguous ends by the overlapping of corresponding strips, after which a single bolt 17 may be passed through certain of the vregistering perforations 16 for the purpose of holding allof the several parts in assembled 'relatio In the particular form shown in the drawing, the righthand ends of the outer strips of section 6 are outside of the left-hand ends of the outer strips of section 7, and the connecting bolt in being set in place t-hand strip, then right-hand strip, and then traverses the boxlike structure through registering perforations in the corresponding strips at the other side, as shown stood, therefore, that the bolt 17 just mentioned not only holds the several strips of section 6 in assembled relation at one end of the section, and holds the several strips of section 7 in assembled relation at one end of said section, but alsodetachably interconnects the two'sections. Further than this, the bolt 17 not only has the several functions above mentioned, but it also serves in v 19 arranged on the outside securing the oblique sections 8, 9 to the girder 5. To this end, connecting plates 19, preferably of, triangular form, are used for connecting the lower bolts 17 of. sections. 8 and 9 with the bolt 17 interconnecting the two sections 6, 7, In the form shown, the last-named bolt 17 passes through a perforation 19 at one apex of a triangular plate of the girder 5, and said bolt also passes through a similar perforation in another plate 19 arranged at the inside of the girder 5, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower connecting bolt 17 of section v 8 passes in'a similar manner through regisw fashion the-lower tering perforations 19 located at other cor-- 1 ners of the two plates 19, and in a similar bolt 17 of section 9. passes through registering perforations 1 9* located at the third corner's of the respective plates each of the-section's-8, 9 to b as desired although T19. The nuts 18 on the lower bolts of sections 8 and 9 press against the inside plate connect each section 8, 9 with the two plates, and in turn with the horizontal girder 5, so that when the upper ends I h of thesections 8,9 are suitably connected to the upper member (not shown) of the bridge or like structure, they will be rigidly held against displacement.- v

-The construction. just described enables lower bolt 17 as an axis so that the angle between it and the girder 5 may be var ed thesect1ons.8, 9 remain asses through an in Fig. 3. It will be underexists between the composed of a.

e swung on its describ I in the same plane as the girder 5'. This is of particular advantage in a toy! construction, as it permits a considerable amount of adjustment. In Fig. 2, the sections 8, 9 are arranged at such an angle as to be supported solely by their lower bolts, but it will be apparent that as section 8 is swung slightly to the left, and section 9 is swung slightly to the right,'their lower corners will abut the upper surface of girder 5, so that each section will then be supported at two points.

The bolt 17 interconnecting the sections 6, 7 not only secures sections 8 and 9 to girder 5, but in the form shown also secures to said girder 5 a horizontal transverse girder section .20 arranged at right angles perforations so that they may be secured to the side members of section 20 by means of Its 22, and the intermediate connecting portion 23 of the U-shaped clip is provided with a perforation engaged by the end of contiguous to girder the bolt 17 interconnecting the sections 6, 7,

as shown in Fig. 3. A nut 18* placed on said last-named bolt, 17, and bearing against the inner face of the intermediate portion 23 of the clip 21, secures the parts in assembled relation. 1

I do not claim herein the connection which girder 5 and section 20, independently-of one or both of the sections 8, 9, as this is a feature claimed in my companion application Serial No. 70,695, filed oneven date herewith. Furthermore, I do not claim herein the specific form of box girder section, as claimed in my application Serial No. 814,533, nor the manner of interconnecting two sections by the overlapping of corresponding strips, as claimed 1n my application Serial No. 24,974. I

What I claim is:-

' 1. In toy building construction, a girder formed of two interconnected sections each plurality of sheet metal strips, said sections placed I endwise relatively to each other with the strips of one section overlapping the corresponding strips of the other section, a box girder section arranged obliquely with respect to said girder and aving one end contiguous to sand girder at the point where said sections are interconnected, and means for detachably securing said oblique girder section to sald' girder comprising plates and bolts passing through aid plates and through the adjacent end portions of said girders, said bolts serving also as means for retainingsaid strips. in

placettdform saidgirders; substantially as tively to each aoacea 2. In toyv building construction, two box girder sections each composed of a plurality of strips, said sections placed endwise relaother, a bolt interconnecting certain strips of one section retaining the strips assembled-in the form of a girder section, and interconnecting said sections, a third box girder section composed of a plurality of strips and arranged obliquely with respect to the first two sections, and means secured to said first-mentioned sections by said bolt for securing said oblique section to said two first sections; substantially as described.

3. In toy building construction, two separable box girder sections placed endwise relatively to each other, a bolt for interconnecting said sections, two similar separable sections arranged obliquely with respect to said first sections and disposed at an angle to each other, and means for connecting said oblique sections with said bolt comprising plates overlying the adjacent end portions of said sections and secured thereto; substantially as described.

4. In toy bui girder member having a bolt traversing the same, plates clamped in place by said bolt at opposite faces of said box girder member, a second box girder member in the same plane as thevfirst and similarly constructed, and a bolt passing through said second box girder member and engaging said plates; substantially asdescribed. I

5. In toy building construction, a box girder member comprising four light flexiblesheet metal strips arranged in box-like form, two of said strips being set in between the other two to space them apart, a bolt passing through the outer strips, plates secured to said bolt at opposite sides of said member, and a second box girder member similar to the first and arranged in the same planeas the first havlng an end bolt passing through said plates; substantially as described.

- securing each of said lding construction, a box 'jacent strips, the contiguous en 6.'In toy building construction, a box girder member comprising two pairs of metal strips arranged in box-like form, two additional box girder members arranged obliquely with respect to said first girder member in the plane thereof and having end portions contiguous thereto and to each other, a clamping plate overlying all three of said box girder members, and means for members detachably to said plate and thereby to the other members, one of said means serving also to retain said metal strips in place to form said first mentioned girder member; substantially as described.

7. In toy building construction, two box girder sections, eachcomprising four flexible sheet metal strips arranged in box-like form, two of said strips being set in between the other two to spacethem apart, said sections placed endwise relatively to each other with the strips of one section overlapping those of the other section, a bolt passing through the outer strips of both sections and intercom necting said sections, plates held 111 place by said bolt .at opposite sides of the girder memf her, and another box .girder section located in the same plane as the first two and having an end bolt passing through sa d plates.

8. In toy building'constructlon, two box girder sections placed end to end, each of said sections com-posed of a plurality of sepa rate sheet metal strips arranged 1n box-like f0nm,.each strip adapted to enga' s of said sections overlapping each other, detaohably interconnecting said sections where they overlap, two additional but similar sections arranged obliquely; with respect to said first sections and disposed at an angle to each other, and means for connecting said oblique sections with'said bolt. V

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 5th day of January, 1916'.

ALFRED C. GILBERT.

e the ad-v a' bolt for 

